How Artificial Intelligence Can Enhance Quantum Computing

Artificial intelligence and quantum computing - they both sound far-fetched, but there have been incredible advancements in both fields over the last couple of years. We could soon see both of them being used in everything from retail businesses to the energy sector, and both technologies could benefit from the other. In particular, quantum computing could benefit greatly from artificial intelligence.

What is quantum computing?

You’ve probably already heard about artificial intelligence (otherwise known as AI) - it’s a simulation of human intelligence in computer software, which can enable them to perform more complex tasks such as problem solving and speech recognition - but you might have never read the words ‘quantum computing’ before today. That’s perfectly excusable - after all, it’s still a fairly new technology, and there are new developments unveiled every couple of months. Put simply, quantum computers are built using the principles of quantum physics. Traditional computers encode information in bits, which can only ever exist as a one or a zero. Quantum computers, on the other hand, use quantum bits (or qubits). These can exist in more than one state, meaning they can be a one, a zero, or both at the same time. This makes quantum computers far more powerful than the computers we use today, as they can perform tasks and calculations far faster. The more qubits a quantum computer has, the more powerful it is - and one of the largest so far has 256 qubits.

Fixing mistakes

Since quantum computers are still so new, they’re not perfect yet. The scientists hard at work creating them are still ironing out all the flaws, and right now, they’re prone to errors. One of the problems with qubits is that, because of their quantum properties, observing them could destroy them or change their state for good, so it’s impossible to find errors by measuring them.

This is where AI can come in. Researchers at the RWTH Aachen University in Germany created an AI that was trained using a specific quantum computer, feeding data into the AI so that it could learn to recognise the errors that this computer would make. It was then used to fix any errors that were made. “This is almost like custom designing an error-correction code according to the characteristics of the particular hardware,” explained Sonika Johri, a scientist at the quantum computing firm IonQ. In the future, a custom-made AI like this could help make quantum computers more efficient and less likely to make mistakes.

Cyber security

Of course, even if quantum computers are more powerful than today’s computers, they’re still susceptible to cyber crime. The methods and types of software used by hackers are constantly changing and evolving, so they’d be sure to develop ways of breaking into these computers. Also, one of the drawbacks of quantum computers is that they’re so powerful that they could easily break through some of the most secure methods of encryption. If cyber criminals were to start using these computers, it would leave people’s networks and information completely defenceless.

Thankfully, quantum technology can be used again here, to keep data safe. Companies like Arqit, a quantum cybersecurity firm based in Britain, have designed a solution to protect systems from quantum computers. Its product, QuantumCloud, can create symmetric encryption keys, which will be transmitted via satellite to the intended recipient. AI could also soon be used in cyber security solutions, too, as AI-based tools can be set up to monitor systems for any signs of potential threats and respond to them immediately. If these two cyber security solutions were to both be used, then it would minimise the chances of cyber attacks from the likes of quantum computers.

Machine learning

Both AI and quantum computing technology could be combined to create something called a quantum memristor, which could lead to more complex machine learning systems. Memristors (short for memory resistors) act like neurons in a brain, and are used for storing data. A quantum memristor, however, would theoretically be even more powerful - and according to a recent study, scientists in Austria and Italy have developed their own quantum memristor, which they say could lead to the development of a quantum computer that behaves like a human brain. With the computing power of a quantum computer, it would be able to learn far faster than other AI systems.

It’s exciting to see what the future holds for these two technologies, especially when used together. While it’s impossible to predict exactly how they could be used, as new discoveries are constantly being made, they could certainly transform our everyday lives.